Ok, now that I have your attention, let’s review what can be done in 10 minutes!

How To Do The Burpee, Now, Add A Pushup At The B Position

2) Make it interesting and do 1-20 of each of these in a set!
3) Take a walk around the block. Next time do it twice.
4) Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
5) Park further away from the door when going to the grocery store.

Want more exercise? Want guided workouts? Need extra motivation? Need buddies to help you do it? Contact me for help with all of these options!

Hi, it’s me Linda Hughes @Iempoweru – I am so excited about what has happened that I asked personal trainer Mark Mueller, the owner of this site, if I could write my own story and share it with you. First off, the before and after pictures and statistics:

Before - 6/1/10

After - 12/4/10

After - sideshot 12/4/10

Statistics:

WOWOWOWOWOW Pretty exciting to see, eh?

How did I do it?

Simple. I finally just paid attention to what Mark instructed me to do – and then I did it. I did it like my life depended on it, because it did.

Now that I am coming back to health, I realize how close I was to having a major body shutdown. Day by day, as I followed his nutrition plan, I began to experience the return of my good health. Little things to big things that cause me to wake up each day and want to sing about how healthy I am now! Who would think that eating right could make such a difference!

All well and good to have great health, but, to be honest, I did it to feel better about the way I looked. I wish I didn’t have to admit that I am that vain, but, it is true.

Nevertheless, looking better to myself has produced all kinds of results that I didn’t expect. I am more confident – able to more easily step into my own personal power. I believe in using this power to help others succeed, so maybe this will balance the vanity.

I tell Mark all the time that what he does for his clients is so much more than helping us lose pounds and inches. It is about helping us become the people that we were meant to be. What a gift!

OK, so what is my next goal?

We are going to continue with my nutrition/training program because I still have several more inches that I want to lose. I want to get even stronger and I want to make sure I have my new health habits dialed in. Check in 6 months from now to see how I am doing.

Better yet, join Mark and I at High Road Gym so that you can write your own success story!

Odd isn’t it? Odd that I would hire a professional personal trainer to help me with a task and then disregard the instructions given. But, I did – I ignored part of his instructions for 3 years… guess I am a slow learner. I think I excelled at the resistance training/workout side. I love a hard, challenging workout and he never fails to deliver(Don’t worry, if you need a less rigorous workout – he can assess and adjust to your needs – I have seen him train a less physically fit 72 yr old woman with similar ease and success). The workouts are customized to my fitness goals and are always slightly different – no small feat considering that I have been his client for 4 years!

Until recently I have flunked the nutrition side. It just doesn’t seem logical to me that I could lose weight by eating – that is counter intuitive.

And yet it has proven to be very true. This time I have had results because I have eaten. Mark had me keep a food journal for a couple weeks before we started the new plan. We reviewed it together and all of his recommendations were based on the foods I like and that fit within my lifestyle. I am very much an eat on the run kind of person, so my plan could not include 4 course sit down meals. He combined this information with his expertise on the subject and created a plan that has worked. We review the food journal once a month and I follow his instructions on what to change or do differently. Those instructions have usually had to do with when I eat what.

My results: in the first 8 weeks I lost 15 1/2 lbs and 6″ overall. My next official weigh in is Sept 1. I will let you all know how I have done this last 4 weeks. I think I have done ok, because, none of my clothes fit – in a big way! Not complaining about that one!

So for all you out there struggling with your weight and fitness – please, don’t do that anymore. Easy access to the internet means that you can ask for Marks help too – by commenting on this blog, by contacting him through his social media, or by calling him. If you don’t live in the area or can’t train with him, still do contact him. He will help you come up with the best plan for your circumstances. If you do live in the area – wow! don’t miss a chance to get his personalized care and attention!

If you want to prove to yourself that I am real, that my story is real, you can contact me through twitter: iempoweru I’d be glad to connect with you. Sincerely, Linda Hughes

Feel-Good Frittata

This rustic, Mediterranean-inspired dish never fails to satisfy tastebuds-whether they’re your own or your guests’. Try this healthy version to cut down on the egg yolks and the oil to reduce the fat content-without cutting down on great taste!

You will need:

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese
Dash of pepper
1 orange
1 slice whole-grain toast

In a bowl, blend whole egg and eg whites with a whisk. Stir in feta and add pepper to taste; set aside.

Coat an 8-inch skillet with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray; heat on high.

Add red bell pepper; cook about 5 minutes or until just tender.

Add spinach and saute 2 minutes until leaves are wilted but still bright green.

Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Cook on medium heat until eggs set.

remove from heat. PLace a plate on top of the skillet and invert so frittata falls onto plate. Re-spray skillet with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray and return to heat to brown other side, about 1 minute.

Serve with an orange and one slice of whole-grain toast. (1 serving)

To accomodate guests, double or triple the amount of ingredients as needed. Make one frittata at a time, keeping each frittata warm in a 200-degree oven on an oven-safe plate until all are completed. Cooking a single frittata in an oversized skillet is not recommended; using a skillet that is too large can make flipping the frittata difficult.

Serving Size: 1 frittata (plus one slice of shole-grain toast and one orange)
Cal: 280
Fat Total: 3g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Carbs: 34g
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 21g

Enjoy! I’ll continue to share more recipes for fat loss like this one from BeachBody. If you have one you would like to share, let me know.

Summer is wrapping up, so I’ll get this one out while we still have some hot days left. this recipe comes from Lynn Higgins. Visit her at Shodanagal .

My Favorite Green Summer Drink

1 lemon or lime
1/2 cup parsley
2 big handfuls of spinach
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 pinch of peeled ginger
1 medium cucumber
2 apples or 2 pears
ice cubes
1 Tbsp wheat germ or ground flax **

** Optional step-Lynn’s personal choice!

This serves 2 people nicely!!